Stir It Up: Time to party on

Marialisa Calta | Uclick

Published 10:55 am, Saturday, December 28, 2013

Photo: Annette Joseph

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Party made easy: Feature one or two homemade hors d’oeuvres, like these roast beef sandwiches using mini pita breads, and then round out your offerings with ready-made foods from the supermarket. Credit: Deborah Whitlaw Llewellyn for "Picture Perfect Parties" by Annette Joseph; Rizzoli, 2013.

Party made easy: Feature one or two homemade hors d’oeuvres, like these roast beef sandwiches using mini pita breads, and then round out your offerings with ready-made foods from the supermarket. Credit:

Perhaps you are hosting an annual holiday party that has been on your calendar for months. Or perhaps, in a fit of seasonal enthusiasm, you have invited a few friends over for an impromptu gathering. No matter the reason, it is the season to have a few tasty appetizer recipes ready to go.

“Hors d’oeuvres” should live up to their name, which means “outside the work” in French; they should not take a huge amount of effort. They do, however, require some planning. Your aim is to have some variety without exhausting yourself.

You also want to have at least one or two appetizers on the menu that show that you did more that open a can of peanuts or a jar of olives. Think of them as anchor dishes: those around which other, less labor-intensive offerings can revolve.

For inspiration, look no farther than “Picture Perfect Parties” by Annette Joseph. She can tell you not only what to feed your party guests, but how to make your own snow globes for the table, holiday banners, and cute little “elfin” jars filled with truffled popcorn as gifts for your guests. Her Roast Beef With Red Pepper Aioli in Pita Bread fills all my requirements for a winning appetizer: easy, tasty and festive. Serve Joseph’s Warm Marinated Olives in individual glasses or cups for ease of eating and a more elegant presentation.

Then, augment these appetizers with store-bought items:

• Almonds lightly tossed with olive oil, roasted for 15 minutes in a 300-degree oven and sprinkled with sea salt and seasonings such as nutmeg, black pepper, cumin seeds, paprika or ginger.

• Fresh dates split and stuffed with cream or goat cheese.

• Steamed and salted edamame (fresh soybeans) in their pods (available in the freezer aisle of many supermarkets).

• Cheeses and other cured meats, thinly sliced, such as the small Italians sausages known as “cacciatore.”

With a mix of some of these, along with the recipe that follows, you will have the makings of a great party!

ROAST BEEF WITH RED PEPPER AIOLI IN PITA BREAD

Serves 8 to 10

For the aioli:

1 garlic clove, peeled

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 egg yolk (see Note)

2 teaspoons prepared red pepper pesto

1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1/4 cup olive oil

3 tablespoons vegetable oil

For the roast beef pitas:

1 package mini pita pockets

1 pound rare roast beef, thinly sliced

1 small head butter lettuce, washed, drained and separated into leaves

Make the aioli: Mash the garlic clove and salt together with a fork to form a paste. Set aside. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the egg yolk, red pepper pesto and mustard. In a separate bowl, mix the oils, then pour them into the yolk mixture in a steady stream, whisking constantly. If the aioli separates, add a little more oil and continue to whisk for 5 to 10 minutes until it comes together. Whisk in the garlic paste and blend thoroughly. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

When you are ready to assemble the pitas, use a paring knife to slice a 2-inch opening on top of each mini pita and spread 1 tablespoon of the aioli inside. Stuff a folded slice of beef and a lettuce leaf inside each mini pita; secure with a decorative toothpick.

Note: Health authorities discourage the consumption of raw egg yolks. To avoid any possibility of food-borne illness, use the yolk of a pasteurized egg (available in many supermarkets); or make a “shortcut” aioli by substituting about 1/2 cup prepared mayonnaise for the egg yolk, oil and salt. Whisk in a minced clove of garlic, the red pepper pesto to taste, the mustard and a squeeze of fresh lemon.

WARM MARINATED OLIVES IN HOT PEPPERS

Serves 6

4 cups mixed olives, such as nicoise, kalamata and Castelvetrano

2 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes

5 whole garlic cloves, peeled

2 bay leaves

In a medium saute pan over medium-low heat, warm the olives, red pepper flakes, garlic and bay leaves in the oil from the olives for 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer the warm olives to serving vessels; discard the bay leaves and garlic. Serve immediately.